


Fireworks

by orphan_account



Series: Childhood Memories [8]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Drabble, Drabble Collection, First Kiss, Fluff, Growing Up, M/M, Young, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-24
Updated: 2013-03-24
Packaged: 2017-12-06 08:52:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/733821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>When Harry is 12 he kisses Louis for the first time.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireworks

When Harry is 12 he kisses Louis for the first time. It’s bonfire night and they’re stood together in their local park, the freezing night air biting at their cheeks while they wait for the annual firework display to begin. The older boy has been unusually quiet all evening and his friend knows there’s something wrong, but he also knows that he’ll find out eventually if he just stays quiet and maintains the comfortable silence that they’ve both made a place for themselves in. Sure enough, it doesn’t take long for the 14 year old to bite his lip and begin talking, all the while staring pointedly at the bonfire across the field from them.

“Hannah broke up with me this afternoon.” The younger lad stays quiet, knowing that the rest will come if he just waits, but his body inches almost imperceptibly closer to his mate in comfort. “It was face to face this time. She – she says she never wants to go out with me again this time.” It’s a credit to the younger boy’s eternal good will that his first action is to comfort his friend by wrapping a lanky arm around him in a slightly awkward but well-meant hug, and that all thoughts of guilty jubilation don’t come along until a good few seconds afterwards. Because, yes, he fancies the other adolescent and, yes, that’s the reason he’s always been jealous as hell of his girlfriend and, yes, that’s the reason his heart is starting to flutter now as he contemplates the implications behind what he’s just heard. The logical side of his brain is screaming at him to stop getting his hopes up like he’s allowed himself to do so many times before during repeats of this scenario, only to have them cruelly dashed days later, but the irrational, stupid, _hopeful_ side can’t help but wonder if maybe this is his opportunity. Perhaps this time he will have the freedom to do more than dream, although that’s crazy because there’s no way the year 10 would ever be interested in him even if he was gay, which he’s not, right? The sound of a voice beside him reminds the pre-teen that he has other problems to deal with at the moment in the form of his best friend who seems to be about to have a breakdown. “I just don’t know why I’m bothering with this anymore, you know? I used to think that I loved her, but now… I don’t know any more!” Releasing his companion from the hug only to turn and face him, Harry opens his mouth to say something deep and profound and meaningful and probably stolen from a book. Well, that’s what he was planning on doing, but he’s never been too good with words and right now Louis looks so lost and alone and helpless that he can’t stop himself from leaning forward and pressing their lips together for the briefest of seconds that could still change their friendship in an instant. Pulling away quickly, he tries to gauge his friend’s reaction and whether he should start running away yet, but to his surprise the older boy simply moves slightly so that he’s resting his hand on the smaller lad’s shoulder rather intimately. Louis doesn’t look angry exactly, or even annoyed; there are small tears in his eyes, presumably from his recent heartbreak, but he’s smiling too and his hand hasn’t moved from its position on the younger boy’s neck, where he’s playing with his curls absent mindedly. Although he feels like he should probably be apologising – after all, he’s just kissed his straight best friend without even asking – Harry’s finding the whole moment way too enjoyable to ruin with such a pathetic phrase as ‘I’m sorry’. Because, if he’s honest with himself, he truly isn’t sorry at all. Instead he’s focusing on one star in the otherwise pitch black sky and concentrating all his energy on trying to breathe.

“Why did you kiss me?” It’s not an accusation like he was expecting – instead, the 14 year old seems genuinely interested and thankfully not at all about to scream at him for harassment, so he decides there’s nothing he can really do but to answer him now, despite his deep-rooted inhibitions about revealing complex emotions.

“Because I like you.” If he’s going to lay his heart on a platter then he might as well go the whole hog, so continues to explain. “A lot. I’m sorry, I’ve tried not to, but…” his voice tails off when he runs out of words to say, but in the darkness of the November evening his hand searches for the warmth of the other boy’s. When he's located it and carefully, delicately, entwines their fingers in a gesture that used to be commonplace between them but that they haven’t done for years, he’s reassured by the lack of flinching on Louis’ part, which turns to outright joy pulsing through his body when the teenager squeezes his digits comfortingly. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen next, but right now his hand is burning with the fire of his best friend’s touch and he’s never felt more alive.

Above them, the first rocket of the night shoots up into the atmosphere and explodes in a shower of red sparks, illuminating them as they stand together, hand in hand.


End file.
